Grain car door implement



p c. FLAGSTAD ,482,

GRAIN CAR DOOR IMPLEMENT Filed Aug. '14, 1944 Gosweu. Fun-mo Patented Sept. 27, 1949 GRAIN p GornelLFlagStad, Minneapolis, I P 7 ApplicationAugust 14, 1944; Serial No. 549;467

-This invention relates to implements for rernovi ngithe doors of the cars-used byrailroads for transporting grain. Railroadbars'ior this purpose havewidedoonways' for 3 loading and unloading grain and these doorways are closed during transport by means of do'ors which comprises'everal, relatively narrow-d0or-b0ardsset=0n edge one above theot-her and nailed or otherwise securedat their vends-to the i-nnersurf aces 0f the "posts defining said'door- Ways. 'Tonhload the car the-doors are removed one-ata time, starting withthe uppermost, and it 'isthe '-cor nmon=-practiceto pry the door-loose by use-of some -kindof tool zby which .sufiicient pressuremay be exerted to force the door'inwarclly -ag-ainst the grain in thecar. Thedoor-is then lifted and thrown-overupon the :grain, :which runs'out through the space thus provided. 'To my knowledge, however, no -implementfor tool has been provided which is particularl adapted for use in forcing-the door 'inward in order: to draw the :nails from :the post, and-all such tools .-.pre-. viou'slylused' have had the disadvantagesthat-they in one way or another mar V and damage both .the post-and thedoor. v t 111 is-the primarypbj ect of myinvention, therefore, :to provide an implement sparticularl hadapb 'ed for cooperation with "the ordinary grain rear door and which may be readily engagedtherewith; and :operated', to exert therelatively .considerable force needed to :press' the .udoor. "inward against the pressure of the grainvlonnitsainner side, ;A nother object is to :provide :an.:.i mplement of r this -:kind which "may be selectively l ;used;,at either end of Exthe door with 1 equal 3 If acility; rand which is so "constructed; and varrangedthat; the members actually contaotingathe::door; and the .doorl posts will I :maintain an even; bearing surface on. these parts at all: times,;preventing 'in- .juryto thewood. I V l 1These=and other more detailed and speeifieobjects-wili-be disclosed inthe course of the followingqspecification, reference-being. had. to the accompanying drawing, in-which- V .7

Fig..- .1 .isan outside elevation of a portion-of the doorway of a graincar door and :one of the .doors: used .in connection therewith, showing :my improved implement in operative position at: one :end ofthe door. Fig. 2 .-is an enlargedside-elevation, partially :in section, of. the-operating; endeof the implement landkwithnparts broken awa tQrbBllllGImdiSClQSfi v the interiorconstruction. v a I Fig. 73, is anenlarged-fragmentary vertical secerence characters to thexdrawinc, A desi n tes a grain .camdoor .of conventional formlarrangedoon edge in the "doorway B of agrain car Q and-With its endsprojecting beyonduthe marginstof spaced upright door posts D, which 'ldef ine the, lateral Q01 A maysbe secured vto inner surfaces 1of;;the pos t D in any onventional m nne uch as by mean of e :nailsi d ate :at -E,1i being.iher not l t onl su fici nt .fastenine.- s1r quir d: t held :the door-in place and vagainst endvvise displacement, inasmuch as theoutwardpressureof= the exam n the. r-wil r e. ho 1th i h ly a t \the ost sth fill nez i the .car;proceeds, other doors (not here shown) are arranged on; edge above the door A-until th e edoorwayB is entirelyclosed.

To unload the car, thedoors are thenremoved one at ,atime starting with the upper one, and to do thisltheadoorsmust be forced inwardly against the pressure of the grain in a sufiicient distance to ,drawtthe znails E from the posts D, -whereupon the doorsmaysbe lifted upand thrown inwardly over and upon the grain which runs but through the space thus provided downto the level ofthenext doorbeneath.

In accordance with my invention; 1 provideah improved implement for accomplishing thisfirst ,operationin prying the doorinwardly. Theseo- ,ond operationgthat of liftingthe door, 'may'of 0 e ourselbecarried out in any desired mannerbnt .I prefer toruse for this purpose the implement .disclosed 'in my co pending application, Serial No..]532,296, filed ;April,2v2,' v194d, now Patent No. ZAE'JZJ'I80;.datedMarch 16, 1948. l

My present implement is designated generally lat; F andcomprises a handle It made up of an elongated bar. I l to one end ofwhich are secured bracket plates I2 by means of rivets, R3. The bracket plates l2v are fastened to opposite sides of the bar H and extend therebeyond for a considerable distance, being thus dispose'din parallel spaced relation, asclearly indicated in Fig. l. The bracket ,plates .1 2: are I furthermore substantially triangular,inshape and mounted. at nel'upper nated generally at [4, comprising a pair of L-shaped pieces l5 secured by welding or other suitable means to an elongated narrow plate It so that a pair of spaced ears I! is provided and adapted to fit over opposite outer sides of the plates 12. The ears I! are apertured to receive a rivet I8 which passes through the plates l2 and pivotally mounts the ears upon the handle with the plate [6 extending outwardly in opposite directions to each side forming laterally projecting hook or finger portions i9 adapted to selectively engage with inner sides of the door posts D a will be later described.

the nails E from the post. It will be apparent that the oppositely projecting hooks l9 render the implement usable with equal convenience at either end of the door A, the hook on one side being engaged with the post on that side, and the hook at the other side being then so disposed as to properly engage the other post when the implement is shifted to the other end of the door. The aforesaid location of the members [4 and 34 with their door post and door engaging surfaces normally in a common vertical plane insures that these surfaces will properl engage the parts The lower corner of the plates carries another member, designated generally at 20, which is U- shaped in plan, having a fiat bight portion 2l' and spaced ears 22 adapted to fit over outersur faces of the plates l2. These ears 22 are likewise apertured to receive a rivet 23 whichpasses their pivots I8 and 23. The ends 2 1 and 250i the plates are, however, rounded off, as designated respectively at 26 and 21, in such manner as to permit oscillating movements of the members [4 and in a downward direction only, and as shown in Fig. 2, it will be noted that in their a normal positions the members stand in such rela tion to each other that the respective door post and door engaging surfaces of the angles 15 and bight 2| stand in a common vertical plane.

The upper member I4 is provided with a pin 28 welded rigidly to the center of the plate It and extending inwardly between the plates l2 above the rivet Ill. The free extremity of the pin 28 is formed with an eye 29 to which one end of a retractile coil spring 30 is attached, the other end of the spring being connected to a rivet 3|, as clearly indicated in Fig. 2. The spring 30 thus acts to yieldably resist downward swinging movements of the member i4 and to hold it against the stop means 24, as clearly shown in Fig. 2. The lower member 20 is provided with a loop 32 secured to its bight 2| above the pivot 23 an a retractile coil spring 33 is connected at on end by means of a link 34 to said loop 32, the other end of the spring being attached to rivets 35 extending through the plates 12. The spring 33 thus acts in a similar fashion to yieldably resist downward swinging movements of the member 20 and to hold it against its stop 25. Between the members I4 and 20 the plates I2 are cut away, as indicated at 36, to provide clearance for the downward swinging movements of the upper member Hi. In operation the implement has one of its hooks is engaged with the door post D,

when the implement is held horizontally and brought into. engagement with the posts and door, as previously described.

As the handle in is forced downwardly to bring the prying pressure upon the door A, the members I4 and 20 may, as clearly shown in Fig. 3, oscillate about their pivots to assume the necessary relatively angular positions and keep them in fiat bearing engagement with the post D and the door. Thus any tendency of these parts to out into the post or door is eliminated and no marring or damage results, such as is the case with makeshift implements now used for this purpose. Of course, when the implement is removed from the door the springs as and 33 immediatelyreturn the members l2 and 20 to their starting positions, ready for the next operation.

It will be noted that continuation of the downward swinging movement of the handle [0 from the position of Fig. 3 will result in an upward movement of the door, since the pivot 23 for lower member 20 is at a fixed distance from the pivot 18 about which the implement as a whole swings, and the pivot 23 will have an upward component of movement as the operation proceeds. Such upward movement of the lower member 20 and the door A may be relatively small but It is important in that in some doors of well known form lower nails (not here shown) are used which engage only in downwardly opening notches in the lower edges of the door. A comparatively small upward movement, of the door is all that is required to free the notches from these lower nails.

It is understood that suitable modifications may be made in the structures disclosed, provided that such modifications lie within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

Having now, therefore, fully disclosed my invention, what I claim to be new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. An implement for prying a grain car door inwardly at either end away from the door post, comprising in combination, a handle, a pair of bracket plates secured to one end of the handle and extending therebeyond, upper and lower members pivotally attached in spaced relation to the said bracket plates, the upper member having oppositely projecting fingers for selective en- 'gagement with the inner sides of the door posts,

the lower member having a surface disposed centrally and below said fingers for engagement with the outer surface of the door, stop means on the bracket plates engaging said members and restraining them against oscillating movements in one direction about their pivots so that the respective door post and door engaging surfaces of the members normally stand in alignment, and separate spring means'connected between the respective members and the bracket plates and yieldably holding said members against said stop means.

2. An implement for prying a grain car door comprising in combination, a handle, a pair of bracketplates secured to one end of the handle and extending therebeyond, upper and lower members pivotally attached in spaced relation to the said bracket plates, the upper member having oppositely projecting fingers for selective engagement with the inner sides of the door posts,

the lower member having a surface disposed cene trally and below said fingers for engagement with the outer surface of the door, stop means on the bracket plates engaging said members and restraining them against oscillating movements in one direction about their pivots so that the respective door post and door engaging surfaces of the members normally stand in alignment, and separate springs connected between the respective members and at least one of the bracket plates for normally holding the members against the stop means, the said springs being positioned between and protected by the bracket plates.

3. An implement for prying a grain car door inwardly at either end away from the door post, comprising in combination, a handle, a, pair of bracket plates secured to one end of the handle and extending therebeyond, the said plates having upper corner portions and lower corner portions separated by an intervening notch, an

upper prying member pivotally connected to the upper corner portions of the bracket plates and swingable downwardly into said notch in the operation of the implement, a lower prying member pivoted to the lower corner portions of the bracket plates and swingable downwardly with respect thereto, and separate springs connected between the upper and lower prying members and the bracket plates and yieldably restraining them against downward swinging movements.

CORNELL FLAGSTAD.

' REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,332,404 Manning Mar. 2, 1920 1,473,072 Anderson et al. Nov. 6, 1923 1,492,460 Hofiman Apr. 29, 1924 ,646,894 Basore Oct. 25, 1927 2,195,667 Baker Apr. 2, 1940 

